Approximately 400 EV chargers will be installed across Canada as part of a $10.9-million federal investment.

Environment, Climate Change and Nature Minister Julie Dabrusin announced the funding during a news conference Thursday in Burnaby, B.C. The investment follows the launch of Canada’s new Auto Strategy last winter.

Dabrusin said Ottawa will invest the funds in 22 EV-infrastructure and education projects across Canada to support the expansion of charging networks and encourage EV adoption. About $2 million will fund 13 education and awareness initiatives aimed at increasing public familiarity with EVs and charging infrastructure.

“When you charge your vehicle using electricity that’s produced right here in Canada, your costs are lower because you’re not exposed to the price of oil set on the other side of the world,” she said. “And because our grid is already one of the cleanest anywhere, powered largely by hydro from provinces like British Columbia, every EV on the road also means cleaner air in our communities.”

Almost $9 million will support nine projects through the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program to complete the EV-charger installations.

“These are part of a broader effort to make charging more convenient wherever Canadians are, whether they’re at home, at work, or on the road, including in rural and northern communities where options are still limited,” said Dabrusin. “But we’re not just putting infrastructure in place.”

David Bibby a member of the Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council, said the increased chargers will help residents of multi-family properties reduce barriers to EV adoption. Bibby, who also the founder and CEO of Vancouver-based Hypercharge Networks, noted that about 200,000 new EVs take to the roads each year in Canada, representing 10% to 12% of the country’s total vehicle count.

Many multi-family property residents do not benefit from cost savings associated with EV use because chargers are not easily within reach, he said.

“Nearly one in three Canadians lives in a condominium, a strata, or an apartment, and many of them face barriers to charging,” he said. “We know because this is something that we do at HyperCharge every day. We help condo stratas, developers, property owners put charging stations in, and it can be really difficult for them to navigate all of the various codes, working within their strata and their community to put these stations in place.

“So, what we want to do is make sure that every homeowner that wants to buy an EV can have a charger in their parking spot or their driveway, and wherever they go in public, they can do it confidently. So, if we’re serious about making the benefits of electric driving available to everyone, we have to solve that problem for a third of the country that live in multi-unit buildings.”

Bibby praised the federal government and Dabrusin for educating Canadians about EV purchases.

“At the Canadian Charging Infrastructure Council, we hear the same question over and over from condo boards, property managers, landlords,” he said. “They want to install a charger. They hear it from the homeowners. What should they do? They have an important practical question about how to manage the charging fairly for those that don’t necessarily have EV chargers and cost effectively.

“And those questions are only growing as consumers choose electric. So, that’s exactly why today’s investment makes a big difference for the industry. By funding a clear and practical education guide, the Government of Canada is helping the people who run Canada’s multi-unit buildings answer those questions with confidence and helping more Canadians unlock the savings of low-cost, clean energy.”

Richard Stewart, mayor of Coquitlam, B.C., said the funding will help the city install up to 30 new EV charging ports across the community.

“Coquitlam already has the second-highest EV adoption rate in Metro Vancouver, and we know that number will continue to grow as residents choose low- and zero-emission vehicles,” he said. “With this federal investment, we will nearly double the number of publicly accessible chargers in Coquitlam by spring 2027.

“Those chargers will be located at places people already visit every day, places like community centres and libraries and parks, making it easier and more convenient to charge.”

Stewart, who cycled to the news conference from Coquitlam, said the funding will have a large impact on him and his family.

“Our family pretty much gave up carbon,” he said. “Our vehicles are electric. At least, I believe my vehicle is still electric. I lent my son my electric car at the beginning of COVID when I moved to riding a bicycle, and I now only see him when he comes home to charge the car. And with these public accessible chargers, I won’t see him ever.”

According to a federal government backgrounder on the new funding, Ottawa has granted Coquitlam $150,000 to install its new chargers. Stewart said the federal investment supports Coquitlam’s recently approved Climate Action Plan and proposed goals of the city’s Transportation Plan, which is in development.

Ken Uzeloc, a member of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs board, praised Ottawa for collaborating with firefighters to reduce the risks of EV adoption.

“Electric vehicles support Canada’s zero-emission goals towards a cleaner and greener future,” said Uzeloc, who serves as the fire chief in Kamloops, B.C. “Fire Chiefs embrace innovation while being mindful that with every innovation, from new building codes to electric vehicles, fire-emergency and life-safety considerations must advance in tandem. This is especially important where lithium-ion batteries are involved and in the era of wildfires.

“This announcement, which supports the proliferation of green technologies while considering the emergency and life safety, is an extraordinary example of the Government of Canada and fire chiefs working together to not only introduce timely innovations, but also to do so with full consideration of safety. This is what the project allows Canada to do, and we look forward to providing all communities with that very community needs to know about charging safety and charging effectively over the next 12 to 18 months.”

In B.C., the investment builds on the province’s growing charging network, which now includes more than 8,900 public charging ports, up 87% since 2023.

The federal government said the investments complement Canada’s clean-electricity system and the National Electricity Strategy, which aims to support economic growth, reduce emissions and strengthen the country’s competitiveness in the global clean-energy economy.

The funding is part of Ottawa’s broader strategy to expand vehicle electrification and develop Canada’s EV and battery supply chains.

Natalia Vladyka, operations manager at Blue Force Energy, which hosted the news conference, said the federal investment is very important because charger-network expansion goes hand-in-hand with increased EV use.

“Basically, having investment in infrastructure is very important for us also to grow [as an industry] and for sustainability of the clean transportation,” she told Connect following the news conference. “So, we are very grateful to the ministry for supporting the industry and moving forward because climate change is here and it’s very important to react, because we are already behind.

“We are basically catching up. Only innovations and clean energy can help us catch up with the changes.”

Blue Force converts gasoline-powered vehicles to EVs. The company did not receive any of the newly announced federal funding.”

Pictured: Environment and Climate Change and Nature Minister Julie Dabrusin announces a federal $10.9-million investment in EV-charging and education across Canada.

Photo: Monte Stewart. All rights reserved. No republishing permitted without the expressed written consent of Monte Stewart.